The Outback With Kids… Who Says It Can’t Be Done?

It’s no wonder that Australia is the envy of the world. Nowhere else on the planet can offer such incredible diversity in its trees and verdant plantlife, such character in its diverse indigenous wildlife, such incredible and sprawling natural vistas, such vibrant and cosmopolitan cities; not to mention such darned bloody nice people to boot! Tourists flock to the country from all over the globe while Aussies are never stuck for ideas when it comes to planning a family vacation. Yet, for those who like a healthy dose of adventure with their holidays it may seem as if parenthood could curtail your usual adventurous activities. For many adventure hungry Aussies the real Australia can’t be found in the cliche realms like Sydney or Canberra or even the safely adventurous Cairns. The true Australia lies in the untamed wild of the outback. If the “safer” tourist traps like those found along the Gold Coast don’t appeal to you, you may be surprised to learn that having kids needn’t impede your outback adventures.

If your idea of a fun family holiday is loading up the car and setting off across the outback, you can easily engage in any of the usual quintessential outback trips found right here https://www.outbackfree.com.au with your kids. All it takes is a little preparation, planning and patience…

Know your kids

One of the trickiest elements of planning an outback holiday with the kids is managing the balance between on and off road tourism. Only you know how well your kids handle long periods of time in the car. Depending on their age, their general maturity and how long they can go without tearing lumps out of each other in the back seat you may need to plan your trip with a stop every two hours, you may be able to get away with a stop every three or four. Try to roughly plan the sights and attractions along your route with the times at which you expect the kids to get impatient.

You may not find quite as many rest stops in the interior as you might along the coast but there’s no reason why you can’t take a moment to admire nature’s beauty and take a few minutes to rest wherever you wish.

Travel as light as you can

It’s human nature to be protective of our kids and knowing just how many dangerous creepy crawlies there are lurking in the outback (Brits think it’s a miracle we make it to adulthood at all) we can have a tendency to pack way too much gear. Most of the time good shoes and comfortable long pants are all the protection you and your kids need. If you’re going to invest anywhere, make sure it’s in comfortable bedding. A comfy warm sleeping bag is essential in the cold outback nights.

Make sure there’s always something to do

Nature has provided a sprawling playground for kids to exercise, learn and have fun for millennia. While your kids will no doubt have a blast in nature’s playground it’s always a good idea to pack plenty for them to keep themselves amused in the car. Tablets and smartphones are a great source of movies and music but you can’t go wrong with a good book either. Giving them the responsibility of journalling the trip will also keep their minds occupied while helping them to engage with the trip.

Shona Mackin is a mum to a little boy and massive Bernese Mountain Dog fur baby. In her previous (and current) life, she is the owner of social media agency socialface. As a serial entrepreneur, she aimed to design her businesses to do what she wanted, when she wanted… at least thats what she thought, until she found out her babies had a better plan. Thankfully her former former life as a dancer gave her oodles of flexibility and determination to roll with whatever each new day throws her way… sometimes… other days coffee helps in the morning and wine in the evening or a time out in a hot shower to block out the noise.

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